STACK NZ Nov #79

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With the director’s chair now vacant, a new filmmaker had to be found to boldly steer the Enterprise crew in Star Trek Beyond . Words Adam Colby

D espite having departed the Star Trek universe for another galaxy, far, far away, J.J. Abrams remains as a producer on Star Trek Beyond – the third film in the franchise he was instrumental in rebooting back in 2009, and the thirteenth Star Trek movie. With the director’s chair now vacant, a new filmmaker had to be found to boldly steer the Enterprise crew where no one has gone before. Edgar Wright, Rupert Wyatt and Duncan Jones were all contenders for the gig, but it was Justin Lin – who had successfully driven the Fast and Furious franchise to new box office heights – that ultimately took the helm, bringing his high- octane brand of filmmaking and kinetic action set pieces to the Trek universe. And if Lin seems like an unlikely choice for a Star Trek movie, Trekkers can breathe easy – he’s one of them. Lin first encountered the series at the age of eight and has been a fan ever since. With a new Star Trek film as the ultimate playground and working from a cracking screenplay by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung, Lin sticks closely to Gene Roddenberry’s original vision, and the director's

and that’s the message of this movie,” offers Karl Urban, who gets a lot more screen time as Bones. “Ultimately it’s about family, it’s about working together to achieve something great,” adds Chris Pine, whose Captain Kirk is experiencing some personal issues. “Being the Captain of the Enterprise is probably the defining feature of his life” says Pine. “There’s this reality of loneliness and of figuring things out. “Is he willing to trust anyone outside his circle, and is he willing to let his empathy lead him and his crew into mortal danger?” Issues concerning Kirk’s father’s legacy are also brought to the fore in the wake of the Enterprise’s destruction. “His father was the captain of a ship that was also destroyed, so when he sees the [Enterprise] destroyed, it brings up a real complex set of emotions that are tied to where he was born and who he is,” Pine explains. With a fourth Trek film already announced and tipped to feature

who holds a grudge against the Federation. “I wanted a character that’s there to deconstruct the Federation’s ideals, but to do it in a way where he has a very valid philosophy,” explains Lin. Krall also deconstructs the Enterprise with a swarm of bee- like ships that tear through the starship like shrapnel – the third time we’ve seen it destroyed in

love of the classic TV series is evident in the strong themes of diversity and unity that run through the film. Moreover, there are numerous references to the Original Series in Star Trek Beyond , including nods to the episodes Who Mourns for Adonais? and The Trouble with Tribbles, which will please the diehard Trekkers.

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The crew can achieve more together than they can alone, and that’s the message of this movie

the Trek movies. “Watching the Enterprise crash and burn felt like I was destroying a legacy,” notes Idris Elba. “Krall is certainly going to be remembered for that.” Stranded and separated on a hostile alien planet, the crew must regroup if they are to defeat

Set three years into the Enterprise’s five-year mission to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and new civilizations, Star Trek Beyond is the first of the new Trek films to take the action into deep space and an alien world, with a stopover at the Federation Starbase Yorktown. A rescue mission soon becomes a fight for survival against a powerful new enemy, Krall (played by Idris Elba under lots of latex),

the return of George Kirk, as played by Chris Hemsworth,

Krall, and unity becomes an important theme of the film. “The crew can achieve more together than they can alone,

• Star Trek Beyond is out on Nov 2

Captain James T. Kirk might finally get some closure.

NOVEMBER 2016

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